Invite or add a user, Google Group, or Google Chat app to a space

This guide explains how to use the create() method on the Membership resource of the Google Chat API to invite or add a user, Google Group, or Chat app to a space also known as creating a membership. When creating a membership, if the specified member has their auto-accept policy turned off, then they're invited, and must accept the space invitation before joining. Otherwise, creating a membership adds the member directly to the specified space.

If you're a Google Workspace administrator, you can add users, Google Groups, or Chat apps to any space in your Google Workspace organization.

The Membership resource represents whether a human user or Google Chat app is invited to, part of, or absent from a space.

Prerequisites

Node.js

Python

Java

Apps Script

Invite or add a user to a space as a user

To invite or add a user to a space with user authentication, pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.memberships authorization scope.
  • Call the CreateMembership() method.
  • Pass parent as the resource name of the space in which to create membership.
  • Pass membership as an instance of Membership with its field member set with the following:
    • The type field set to HUMAN.
    • The name field set to users/{user} where {user} is the person that you want to add to the space. To specify the Chat user, replace {user} with any of the following:
      • The ID for the person in the People API. For example, if the People API person resourceName is people/123456789, then user the value users/123456789.
      • The ID for the user in the Directory API.
      • The user's email address. For example, users/222larabrown@gmail.com or users/larabrown@cymbalgroup.com. If the user uses a Google Account or belongs to a different Google Workspace organization, you must use their email address.

The following example adds a user to a space with user authentication:

Node.js

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create-membership-user-cred.js
import {createClientWithUserCredentials} from './authentication-utils.js';

const USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships'];

// This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a human user
async function main() {
  // Create a client
  const chatClient = await createClientWithUserCredentials(USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES);

  // Initialize request argument(s)
  const request = {
    // Replace SPACE_NAME here.
    parent: 'spaces/SPACE_NAME',
    membership: {
      member: {
        // Replace USER_NAME here
        name: 'users/USER_NAME',
        // User type for the membership
        type: 'HUMAN'
      }
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = await chatClient.createMembership(request);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

main().catch(console.error);

Python

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create_membership_user_cred.py
from authentication_utils import create_client_with_user_credentials
from google.apps import chat_v1 as google_chat

SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships"]

# This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a human
# user
def create_membership_with_user_cred():
    # Create a client
    client = create_client_with_user_credentials(SCOPES)

    # Initialize request argument(s)
    request = google_chat.CreateMembershipRequest(
        # Replace SPACE_NAME here
        parent = "spaces/SPACE_NAME",
        membership = {
            "member": {
                # Replace USER_NAME here
                "name": "users/USER_NAME",
                # user type for the membership
                "type_": "HUMAN"
            }
        }
    )

    # Make the request
    response = client.create_membership(request)

    # Handle the response
    print(response)

create_membership_with_user_cred()

Java

chat/client-libraries/cloud/src/main/java/com/google/workspace/api/chat/samples/CreateMembershipUserCred.java
import com.google.chat.v1.ChatServiceClient;
import com.google.chat.v1.CreateMembershipRequest;
import com.google.chat.v1.Membership;
import com.google.chat.v1.SpaceName;
import com.google.chat.v1.User;

// This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a human
// user.
public class CreateMembershipUserCred {

  private static final String SCOPE =
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships";

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    try (ChatServiceClient chatServiceClient =
        AuthenticationUtils.createClientWithUserCredentials(
          ImmutableList.of(SCOPE))) {
      CreateMembershipRequest.Builder request = CreateMembershipRequest.newBuilder()
        // replace SPACE_NAME here
        .setParent("spaces/SPACE_NAME")
        .setMembership(Membership.newBuilder()
          .setMember(User.newBuilder()
            // replace USER_NAME here
            .setName("users/USER_NAME")
            // user type for the membership
            .setType(User.Type.HUMAN)));
      Membership response = chatServiceClient.createMembership(request.build());

      System.out.println(JsonFormat.printer().print(response));
    }
  }
}

Apps Script

chat/advanced-service/Main.gs
/**
 * This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a human user
 * 
 * It relies on the OAuth2 scope 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships'
 * referenced in the manifest file (appsscript.json).
 */
function createMembershipUserCred() {
  // Initialize request argument(s)
  // TODO(developer): Replace SPACE_NAME here.
  const parent = 'spaces/SPACE_NAME';
  const membership = {
    member: {
      // TODO(developer): Replace USER_NAME here
      name: 'users/USER_NAME',
      // User type for the membership
      type: 'HUMAN'
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = Chat.Spaces.Members.create(membership, parent);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

To run the sample, replace the following:

  • SPACE_NAME: the ID from the space's name. You can obtain the ID by calling the ListSpaces() method or from the space's URL.
  • USER_NAME: a user ID.

The Chat API returns an instance of Membership that details the user membership that was created.

Invite or add a Google Group to a space

To invite or add a Google Group to a space with user authentication (App authentication doesn't support inviting or adding a Google Group to a space), pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.memberships authorization scope.
  • Call the CreateMembership() method.
  • Pass parent as the resource name of the space in which to create membership.
  • Pass membership as an instance of Membership with the field name of groupMember set to groups/{group} where {group} is the group ID that you want to create membership for. The ID for the group can be retrieved using the Cloud Identity API.

Google Groups can't be added to a group chat or direct message, but only to a named space.

The following example adds a group to a named space with user authentication:

Node.js

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create-membership-user-cred-for-group.js
import {createClientWithUserCredentials} from './authentication-utils.js';

const USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships'];

// This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a group
async function main() {
  // Create a client
  const chatClient = await createClientWithUserCredentials(USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES);

  // Initialize request argument(s)
  const request = {
    // Replace SPACE_NAME here.
    parent: 'spaces/SPACE_NAME',
    membership: {
      groupMember: {
        // Replace GROUP_NAME here
        name: 'groups/GROUP_NAME'
      }
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = await chatClient.createMembership(request);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

main().catch(console.error);

Python

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create_membership_user_cred_for_group.py
from authentication_utils import create_client_with_user_credentials
from google.apps import chat_v1 as google_chat

SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships"]

# This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a group
def create_membership_with_user_cred_for_group():
    # Create a client
    client = create_client_with_user_credentials(SCOPES)

    # Initialize request argument(s)
    request = google_chat.CreateMembershipRequest(
        # Replace SPACE_NAME here
        parent = "spaces/SPACE_NAME",
        membership = {
            "groupMember": {
                # Replace GROUP_NAME here
                "name": "groups/GROUP_NAME"
            }
        }
    )

    # Make the request
    response = client.create_membership(request)

    # Handle the response
    print(response)

create_membership_with_user_cred_for_group()

Java

chat/client-libraries/cloud/src/main/java/com/google/workspace/api/chat/samples/CreateMembershipUserCredForGroup.java
import com.google.chat.v1.ChatServiceClient;
import com.google.chat.v1.CreateMembershipRequest;
import com.google.chat.v1.Membership;
import com.google.chat.v1.SpaceName;
import com.google.chat.v1.Group;

// This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a group.
public class CreateMembershipUserCredForGroup {

  private static final String SCOPE =
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships";

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    try (ChatServiceClient chatServiceClient =
        AuthenticationUtils.createClientWithUserCredentials(
          ImmutableList.of(SCOPE))) {
      CreateMembershipRequest.Builder request = CreateMembershipRequest.newBuilder()
        // replace SPACE_NAME here
        .setParent("spaces/SPACE_NAME")
        .setMembership(Membership.newBuilder()
          .setGroupMember(Group.newBuilder()
            // replace GROUP_NAME here
            .setName("groups/GROUP_NAME")));
      Membership response = chatServiceClient.createMembership(request.build());

      System.out.println(JsonFormat.printer().print(response));
    }
  }
}

Apps Script

chat/advanced-service/Main.gs
/**
 * This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for a group
 * 
 * It relies on the OAuth2 scope 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships'
 * referenced in the manifest file (appsscript.json).
 */
function createMembershipUserCredForGroup() {
  // Initialize request argument(s)
  // TODO(developer): Replace SPACE_NAME here.
  const parent = 'spaces/SPACE_NAME';
  const membership = {
    groupMember: {
      // TODO(developer): Replace GROUP_NAME here
      name: 'groups/GROUP_NAME'
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = Chat.Spaces.Members.create(membership, parent);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

To run the sample, replace the following:

  • SPACE_NAME: the ID from the space's name. You can obtain the ID by calling the ListSpaces() method or from the space's URL.
  • GROUP_NAME: a group ID.

The Chat API returns an instance of Membership that details the user membership that was created.

Add a Chat app to a space

A Chat app can't add another app as a member to a space. To add a Chat app to a space or a direct message between two human users, pass the following in your request with user authentication (App authentication doesn't support inviting or adding a Chat app to a space):

  • Specify the chat.memberships.app authorization scope.
  • Call the CreateMembership() method.
  • Pass parent as the resource name of the space in which to create membership.
  • Pass membership as an instance of Membership with its field member set with the following:
    • The type field set to BOT.
    • The name field set to users/app; an alias that represents the app calling the Chat API.

The following example adds a Chat app to a space:

Node.js

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create-membership-user-cred-for-app.js
import {createClientWithUserCredentials} from './authentication-utils.js';

const USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.app'];

// This sample shows how to create membership with app credential for an app
async function main() {
  // Create a client
  const chatClient = await createClientWithUserCredentials(USER_AUTH_OAUTH_SCOPES);

  // Initialize request argument(s)
  const request = {
    // Replace SPACE_NAME here.
    parent: 'spaces/SPACE_NAME',
    membership: {
      member: {
        // Member name for app membership, do not change this
        name: 'users/app',
        // User type for the membership
        type: 'BOT'
      }
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = await chatClient.createMembership(request);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

main().catch(console.error);

Python

chat/client-libraries/cloud/create_membership_user_cred_for_app.py
from authentication_utils import create_client_with_user_credentials
from google.apps import chat_v1 as google_chat

SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.app"]

# This sample shows how to create membership with app credential for an app
def create_membership_with_user_cred_for_app():
    # Create a client
    client = create_client_with_user_credentials(SCOPES)

    # Initialize request argument(s)
    request = google_chat.CreateMembershipRequest(
        # Replace SPACE_NAME here
        parent = "spaces/SPACE_NAME",
        membership = {
            "member": {
                # member name for app membership, do not change this.
                "name": "users/app",
                # user type for the membership
                "type_": "BOT"
            }
        }
    )

    # Make the request
    response = client.create_membership(request)

    # Handle the response
    print(response)

create_membership_with_user_cred_for_app()

Java

chat/client-libraries/cloud/src/main/java/com/google/workspace/api/chat/samples/CreateMembershipUserCredForApp.java
import com.google.chat.v1.ChatServiceClient;
import com.google.chat.v1.CreateMembershipRequest;
import com.google.chat.v1.Membership;
import com.google.chat.v1.SpaceName;
import com.google.chat.v1.User;

// This sample shows how to create membership with user credential for the
// calling app.
public class CreateMembershipUserCredForApp {

  private static final String SCOPE =
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.app";

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    try (ChatServiceClient chatServiceClient =
        AuthenticationUtils.createClientWithUserCredentials(
          ImmutableList.of(SCOPE))) {
      CreateMembershipRequest.Builder request = CreateMembershipRequest.newBuilder()
        // replace SPACE_NAME here
        .setParent("spaces/SPACE_NAME")
        .setMembership(Membership.newBuilder()
          .setMember(User.newBuilder()
            // member name for app membership, do not change this.
            .setName("users/app")
            // user type for the membership
            .setType(User.Type.BOT)));
      Membership response = chatServiceClient.createMembership(request.build());

      System.out.println(JsonFormat.printer().print(response));
    }
  }
}

Apps Script

chat/advanced-service/Main.gs
/**
 * This sample shows how to create membership with app credential for an app
 * 
 * It relies on the OAuth2 scope 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.app'
 * referenced in the manifest file (appsscript.json).
 */
function createMembershipUserCredForApp() {
  // Initialize request argument(s)
  // TODO(developer): Replace SPACE_NAME here.
  const parent = 'spaces/SPACE_NAME';
  const membership = {
    member: {
      // Member name for app membership, do not change this
      name: 'users/app',
      // User type for the membership
      type: 'BOT'
    }
  };

  // Make the request
  const response = Chat.Spaces.Members.create(membership, parent);

  // Handle the response
  console.log(response);
}

To run the sample, replace SPACE_NAME with the ID from the space's name. You can obtain the ID by calling the ListSpaces() method or from the space's URL.

The Chat API returns an instance of Membership that details the user membership that was created.

Invite or add a user to a space as a Chat app

App authentication requires one-time administrator approval.

To invite or add a user to a space with app authentication, pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.app.memberships authorization scope.
  • Call the create method on the membership resource.
  • Set parent to the resource name of the space in which to create membership.
  • Set member to users/{user} where {user} is the person that you want to create membership for, and is either:
    • The ID for the person in the People API. For example, if the People API person resourceName is people/123456789, then set membership.member.name to users/123456789.
    • The ID for the user in the Directory API.
    • The user's email address. For example, users/222larabrown@gmail.com or users/larabrown@cymbalgroup.com. If the user uses a Google Account or belongs to a different Google Workspace organization, you must use their email address.

Create an API key

To call a Developer Preview API method, you must use a non-public developer preview version of the API discovery document. To authenticate the request, you must pass an API key.

To create the API Key, open your app's Google Cloud project and do the following:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to Menu > APIs & Services > Credentials.

    Go to Credentials

  2. Click Create credentials > API key.
  3. Your new API key is displayed.
    • Click Copy to copy your API key for use in your app's code. The API key can also be found in the "API keys" section of your project's credentials.
    • Click Restrict key to update advanced settings and limit use of your API key. For more details, see Applying API key restrictions.

Write a script that calls Chat API

The following example adds a user to a space with app authentication:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_membership_app_create.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_membership_app_create.py:

    from google.oauth2 import service_account
from apiclient.discovery import build

# Define your app's authorization scopes.
# When modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json, if it exists.
SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.app.memberships"]

def main():
    '''
    Authenticates with Chat API using app authentication,
    then adds a user to a Chat space by creating a membership.
    '''

    # Specify service account details.
    creds = (
        service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file('credentials.json')
        .with_scopes(SCOPES)
    )

    # Build a service endpoint for Chat API.
    chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=creds, discoveryServiceUrl='https://chat.googleapis.com/$discovery/rest?version=v1&labels=DEVELOPER_PREVIEW&key=API_KEY')

    # Use the service endpoint to call Chat API.
    result = chat.spaces().members().create(

        # The space in which to create a membership.
        parent = 'spaces/SPACE',

        # Specify which user the membership is for.
        body = {
          'member': {
            'name':'users/USER',
            'type': 'HUMAN'
          }
        }

    ).execute()

    # Prints details about the created membership.
    print(result)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

  3. In the code, replace the following:

    • API_KEY: the API key you created to build the service endpoint for Chat API.

    • SPACE: a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.

    • USER: a user ID.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_membership_app_create.py

Add users or Google Groups to a space as a Google Workspace administrator

If you're a Google Workspace administrator, you can call the create() method to add users, Google Groups, or Chat apps to any space in your Google Workspace organization.

To call this method as a Google Workspace administrator, do the following:

For more information and examples, see Manage Google Chat spaces as a Google Workspace administrator.

Limitations and considerations

  • With App authentication, a Chat app can invite or add users, but not Google Groups or Chat apps. To add itself, a Chat app must use user authentication with the chat.memberships authorization scope.